By Emelia B. Addae, GNA
Pepease-Kwahu (E/R), July 29, GNA – Give Hope Global, a United States-based non-profit organisation, has established a heart and vascular laboratory at the Pepease Health Centre in the Kwahu East District.
The intervention brings specialised cardiovascular diagnostic services closer to residents and reduces the need for costly referrals to major cities.
It is also expected to transform access to primary care-based heart and vascular diagnosis and treatment in the Kwahu enclave.
The intervention also included the donation of essential medical equipment and training for health professionals.
Mr John Watson, the Director of Ghana Ministries for Give Hope Global, said the new laboratory would spare patients the inconvenience and financial burden of travelling to Koforidua, Kumasi and Accra for basic heart and vascular healthcare services.
He said the facility would also significantly reduce the cost of routine diagnostic procedures such as electrocardiogram (ECG) testing.
Mr Watson described the laboratory as a life-changing intervention for residents who require primary care-based, non-invasive heart and vascular diagnostic services.
Beyond establishing the facility, Give Hope Global organised specialised training for health professionals at the centre, to ensure the effective use of the donated equipment and support quality healthcare delivery.
Mr Watson said the medical equipment supplied to the laboratory was made possible through Give Hope Global, with support from local hospitals in the United States and Novant Health in Charlotte, North Carolina.
In an interview, Dr William Ofori Ntim, a native of Pepease-Kwahu, an associate professor of medicine in the United States and a cardiologist, said years of volunteer work by himself and his wife, Mrs Sally Ntim with Give Hope Global, helped pave the way for the organisation’s intervention in the community.
“We volunteer for Give Hope Global, and we have had the opportunity to work with them for a number of years,” adding that it was through the relationship with his familiy that brought the organisation to Kwahu Pepease.
Dr Ntim also credited the success of the initiative to the support and commitment of his senior brother, Mr Frederick Osafo Ntim, the Chief Executive Officer of the FON Group of Companies, and Mrs Agnes Ntim, whose efforts helped bring the partnership into fruition.
He said the laboratory had come at a critical time when communities continue to grapple with the growing burden of non-communicable diseases, including cardiovascular disease, hypertension and diabetes mellitus.
Dr Ntim stated that the project was specifically designed to reduce the burden of accessing basic non-invasive diagnostic care for cardiovascular diseases among residents and vulnerable populations in the area.
For healthcare workers at the facility, the impact of the intervention is expected to be immediate and significant.
Mr Faisal Abu, a Senior Physician Associate and Medical Sonographer at the Pepease Health Centre, described the laboratory as the only dedicated public heart and vascular diagnostic facility in the Kwahu East area.
He said the facility would significantly strengthen the management of chronic conditions, particularly hypertension, which often progresses to serious heart complications when left unmanaged.
Mr Abu expressed appreciation to Give Hope Global and its partners for supporting healthcare delivery in the district.
The equipment donated to the laboratory included portable echocardiogram and vascular ultrasound probes, electrocardiogram (ECG/EKG) machines, a LifePack automatic external defibrillator (AED), a portable medical vein finder, a vascular bed, clinical examination beds, a desktop computer and accessories.
Others were a laptop computer, a projector, books, medical posters, and learning resources on cardiovascular diagnostic testing.
The health officials believed the new laboratory would improve early detection, diagnosis and management of cardiovascular conditions, bringing specialised heart and vascular services closer to communities across the Kwahu East District and its surrounding areas.
GNA
Edited by D.I. Laary/ Christabel Addo
Reporter: Emelia B. Addae, GNA
Email: [email protected]